Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz (AP Photo) MELBOURNE: What Novak Djokovic can’t do? The question no longer seeks an answer. At nearly 39, the 24-time Major champion reached a record-extending 38th Grand Slam final. The Serbian returned to a Major title tournament for the first time since Wimbledon 2024, defeating two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner, whose game is a mirror image of his, only on younger legs. Djokovic didn’t do it by dominating the numbers, but by displaying a tougher-than-Kevlar, heat-resistant polymer mentality.Almost every statistic from the Australian Open semifinals, which ended in the early hours of Saturday morning, favored Sinner, including a 152 to 140 total. All but one category that mattered most saved points for the break. Djokovic went 16 out of 18, with first serve after first serve, including a flawless eight out of eight in the decisive fifth set. This is exactly where the ten-time champion from Melbourne Park used his unrivaled mental strength.
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Djokovic knows he will have to summon the same strength again when he takes on 22-year-old world number one Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final. The Serbian is unbeaten in 10 previous Australian Open finals and is chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam title. At 38 years and 255 days, a victory would make Djokovic the oldest Open Era men’s singles champion. Alcaraz, 22 years and 272 days, is aiming to lift the trophy in Melbourne for the first time and become the youngest man in history to complete a career Grand Slam, breaking the 87-year-old record held by Don Budge.It will be the 10th exchange of their intense rivalry when they meet in the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup on Sunday. Djokovic holds a 5-4 head-to-head lead, having defeated the Spaniard in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics and in the quarter-finals last year. However, Alcaraz authored a masterclass in the semi-finals of the US Open, their last competition.Djokovic, who reached the semifinals of all four majors last year, asked himself some tough questions in the offseason. “When I started preparing for the new season,” he said, “I asked myself, what am I really looking for? I imagined that this year I would play against Jannik and Carlos in the final stages of the Grand Slams and I would really give it everything I have.” The vision took physical form at Rod Laver Arena, where Djokovic snapped a five-match losing streak against the Italian.Like Djokovic, Alcaraz has never been shy about his ambitions, breaking records and his own path. In this case, that path leads to a career Grand Slam. Sunday’s final is becoming more than just a battle for the trophy.
